Chinese chuckle at Trump for messing up picture-perfect America

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration protection program, creating a nightmare for about 800,000 people. The program allowed young undocumented immigrants, or “Dreamers,” to live in the country without fear of deportation. Trump’s decision to end the program means that hundreds of thousands of young adults brought to the U.S. illegally as children could soon face deportation.

Of course, ending the immigration program and any actions taken in response to the decision are purely U.S. domestic affairs. Nevertheless, many Chinese are following the news and wondering where the country is heading.

On Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media service, the reaction is strong and mixed, with some posts receiving thousands of comments. In the eyes of some Chinese, Trump has made a big mess in America, and the decision to kill the program is just further evidence that the American Dream is quickly becoming the American Pipe Dream. “People who go to the U.S. have an American Dream, which is the driving force behind the success and development of the U.S.” wrote a netizen. “The American Dream is broken,” wrote another.

On huanqiu.com, one comment that resonated strongly among readers said that Trump’s actions are hurting his nation by “dividing the U.S., provoking social conflict, and accelerating the decline of U.S. strength.” A different reader said, “Trump shattered the American Dream, and at the same time, destroyed the dream of world peace.”

However, not all are against the move. In fact, Weibo is full of comments supporting Trump’s decision, but many Chinese are confused why the issue is so controversial. “Why is illegal immigration such a big issue? I don’t understand,” wrote one netizen. “Illegal immigrants are illegal, what reason is there to protest?” another netizen wrote, adding: “Trump did the right thing, and in accordance with the law!” Some even asked what China would do if it had a large number of illegal immigrants to deal with.

On the English website of People’s Daily, one reader expressed his support for Trump’s decision. “DACA is not a law, it is an illegal but welcome presidential decree about immigration that protects individual members of Congress from being responsible to their voters for the resulting immigration policy,” the reader wrote, adding that Trump has had enough. Trump ended the program to force Congress to act and pass immigration reform, or face the wrath of angry voters. “This is the Trump Effect changing everything in American politics,” the reader added.

In fact, Trump has signaled that he does not want to really end the Dreamers program, but continue it through the legislative process. “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA,” the U.S. president wrote on his personal Twitter account, adding that if they cannot, then he will revisit the issue. It remains to be seen what effect, if any, Trump’s decision to end the Dreamers program will have on immigration and immigration reform.

Meanwhile, some Chinese are just enjoying the political thriller. Given all the chaos he creates at home, it is almost like Trump was sent to destroy America from within. “Is Trump a spy sent by Putin [Russian president]?” asked one netizen on the WeChat account of the People’s Daily, before breaking out in laughter.